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I have a Fender Jazz Bass I purchased new in 1982 from a reputable authorized Fender dealer. (SN 863667, Candy Apple Red.) I used it in my home recording studio for a couple of years and then stored it for 17 years in its original Fender black plastic hard shell case in a closet (and thus away from direct sunlight and temperature extremes).

When I went to use the bass again in 2002 I literally had to pry open the case and rip the bass out of it. The body finish had fused to the fuzzy black case liner material and the red body was covered with black “fuzz” on much of the front, back, and sides (wherever the body made contact with the case). The neck was not affected. Clearly a chemical reaction between the body finish and the case liner’s fluffy synthetic fuzz caused the problem over time.

The instrument plays and sounds fine but looks terrible. I've used it periodically over the last decade and note that when not used for a couple of years, it’s again hard to get out of the case suggesting that the chemical reaction continues to fuse the case fuzz to the finish.

Has anyone else had this problem? Has Fender acknowledged the issue and offered customer support to fix it? Anyone have suggestions as to how to remove the fuzz from the body short of paying to completely refinish it (and purchasing a new case if that was the cause)?

Yes. At the recommendation of a local dealer I briefly talked on the phone a few years back with an area Fender sales rep. He wasn't terribly interested in hearing about it, didn't want to look at it, and just reminded me that the warranty had expired long ago.

In addition to posting here I emailed Fender through their web site yesterday. Will see if anyone there wants to follow up.

I suspect that I can't be the only one to experience this problem over the years and would hope that Fender would have an interest in dealing with it. Shipping a combination of products that many consider an expensive lifetime investment (high end guitar and case)but that self destructs over time can't be good for the company's image.

"I've used it periodically over the last decade and note that when not used for a couple of years, it’s again hard to get out of the case suggesting that the chemical reaction continues to fuse the case fuzz to the finish."

You continue to store it in the case that causes the problem?

Take it to a competent repair person & see if he can clean it off, gently wet sand the finish & buff it back out to it's original condition. It might not be the case interior that's causing the problem. It's more than likely that the adhesive is the culprit.

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